MS Dhoni carries with him a sense of nostalgia and reminiscence every time he steps out on the field and yesterday the entire nation was glued to their screens ahead of the CSK game at Chepauk with bated breath. The anticipation wasn’t for the game in itself, but there was one thing that had everyone talking—it was the question on everyone’s minds: Is this MS Dhoni’s final season in the IPL? Fans speculated left and right and the news of Dhoni’s parents in the stadium only added fuel to the fire. But of course, Dhoni being Dhoni, no one really knew what was going on in his head.
As CSK faced off against Delhi Capitals in their own backyard, Dhoni’s batting continued to be a topic of conversation. CSK was chasing a 184 runs and Dhoni came in to bat when CSK was at 74/5, while he steadied the ship to some extent, scoring 30 off 26 balls, the match slipped away as his usual finishing prowess failed to take CSK over the finish line. And the question loomed—could this be the year when Dhoni finally bows out?
If there’s one thing about Dhoni, it’s that no one knows anything for sure—when will he retire, where will he come out to bat, when could he make the announcement—no one knows the answer. We all know that while we speculate and anticipate, debate on social media and try to decipher his every move—Dhoni will retire when he decides its time and until then, we all just have to keep guessing.
While fans flooded social media with memes, tweets and reels; journalists were holding their breath, while some were convinced that Dhoni would play for the entire season, some were in anticipation of what was to come. Even CSK coach Stephen Fleming had to admit that he had no clue about Dhoni’s retirement plans but added that “he’s going strong”. The truth is—we will never know the answer, until one fine day when we all wake up to a social media post announcing his retirement.
Although millions rally behind the legend, many on social media did not shy away from calling for his retirement, with relentless memes, many joking about CSK’s lower-order batting approach and Dhoni losing his finishing abilities, Ashwin coming ahead of Dhoni—fans wondered if it’s time for the younger crop to take the reins.
But if there’s one thing for certain—Dhoni’s legacy is unmatched and goes beyond his recent batting performances. He may not be the same force at the end of the innings anymore, but his leadership qualities and lightning quick reflexes behind the wickets are irreplaceable.
While we all try our hardest to speculate when Dhoni will call it a day. He remains in the driver’s seat at CSK, and his final call will be made on his terms. No one will know when it will happen, until it finally happens—that’s what being an MS Dhoni fan is all about.